Israel's prime minister has called off a trip to Washington next week to attend a conference on nuclear non-proliferation, deepening tensions with Barack Obama and threatening to overshadow an event the US president views as crucial to his global agenda.

Israeli officials said Benjamin Netanyahu decided to send a minister in his place after reports that Muslim nations in the Middle East would single out Israel's undeclared nuclear programme for criticism.

The White House tried to downplay the cancellation, but will be privately furious at a very public snub by Mr Netanyahu, who may have been looking for such an opportunity after a recent tete-a-tete with Mr Obama behind closed doors in Washington.

Mr Netanyahu returned home from those talks to a tide of derision in the Israeli press, with a showdown over Jewish settlement construction in East Jerusalem unresolved and relations between the two allies descending into open hostility.

Mike Hammer, the White House National Security Council spokesman, simply said the Israeli government "has informed us" of the decision to send Dan Meridor, a deputy prime minister and the intelligence and atomic energy minister, to the nuclear security summit of 47 nations convened by Mr Obama.

Israel is a close ally and we look forward to continuing to work closely on issues related to nuclear security," he said.

Egypt and Turkey were believed to be the states contemplating an attempt to shame Israel, though the chances of them doing so as guests of Mr Obama were remote.

Muslim nations including Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel have often complained about Israel's nuclear programme. The Jewish state has not admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, preferring a policy it calls "ambiguity." International experts have estimated that Israel has dozens, possibly hundreds, of nuclear bombs.

Ahead of the conference, the White House announced a major shift in US nuclear policy to focus on the threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists and rogue regimes rather than on the long-running arms race with Russia.

The summit will not focus on individual nations, but the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, as well as possible new UN sanctions against Tehran, are expected to come up.

Both countries are excluded from the meeting, where Mr Obama hopes to reach a draft agreement on how to make the world's fissile materials safe within four years.